Malaysia PM denies corruption claims in Australia media
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dismissed as “baseless” media reports accusing him and people in his office of receiving bribes from Australian bank-note firms.
The denial came Wednesday a day after The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald - both owned by Australia’s Fairfax Media group – reported that Razak and his predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had received bribes from Australian companies tasked with printing polymer bank notes.
Razak ordered his lawyers to take legal action against the two papers, while his office denounced the allegations as “baseless smears and insinuations.”
The premier’s office added that the report does not contain a single direct claim about Najib since there is no evidence that he had been involved in the case. The Malaysian courts have already ruled out the case.
The corruption case first emerged in 2009, with Australian police and Malaysia’s anti-corruption authority launching separate probes into the allegations.
The investigations found three Malaysians guilty of accepting bribes to secure a contract for the notes from the central bank. Any connection with government officials, however, was rejected.
The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday that senior Australian government officials are in possession of evidence that shows people in the offices of both Razak and Badawi had been involved in the case.
Denying any part in the case, Razak said he was innocent and the corruption charges are related to his critic Mahathir Mohamad, noting that the contract was awarded when Mohamad was in office.
Razak’s office said the bribes were reportedly paid over the period between 1999 to 2000 during the terms of Mohamad and Badawi.
“Yet Fairfax Media chose not to mention Mahathir anywhere in its article. This is despite knowing that the alleged bribes took place not during Prime Minister Najib’s tenure, but during Mahathir’s,” the office said, adding, “Instead, the entire article including its headline and photos focuses on and smears Prime Minister Najib.”
Earlier this year, Razak faced corruption allegations about swindling USD 700 million worth of funds from debt-ridden state-owned strategic development company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) into his personal bank accounts. He rejected the claims.
Najib came into office in 2009, promising clean government and a more relaxed rule.
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